And chance continues to reign every day over the razor-thin line between our life and death. This is a relatively small book about a really big idea. It is also a spirited tale.

Author: Sean B. Carroll

Publisher: Princeton University Press

ISBN: 9780691234694

Category: Science

Page: 232

View: 888

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"Fascinating and exhilarating—Sean B. Carroll at his very best."—Bill Bryson, author of The Body: A Guide for Occupants From acclaimed writer and biologist Sean B. Carroll, a rollicking, awe-inspiring story of the surprising power of chance in our lives and the world Why is the world the way it is? How did we get here? Does everything happen for a reason or are some things left to chance? Philosophers and theologians have pondered these questions for millennia, but startling scientific discoveries over the past half century are revealing that we live in a world driven by chance. A Series of Fortunate Events tells the story of the awesome power of chance and how it is the surprising source of all the beauty and diversity in the living world. Like every other species, we humans are here by accident. But it is shocking just how many things—any of which might never have occurred—had to happen in certain ways for any of us to exist. From an extremely improbable asteroid impact, to the wild gyrations of the Ice Age, to invisible accidents in our parents' gonads, we are all here through an astonishing series of fortunate events. And chance continues to reign every day over the razor-thin line between our life and death. This is a relatively small book about a really big idea. It is also a spirited tale. Drawing inspiration from Monty Python, Kurt Vonnegut, and other great thinkers, and crafted by one of today's most accomplished science storytellers, A Series of Fortunate Events is an irresistibly entertaining and thought-provoking account of one of the most important but least appreciated facts of life.

Author: LEMONY. SNICKET

Publisher:

ISBN: 3200328398

Category:

Page:

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Dear Reader,You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down.

Author: Lemony Snicket

Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 0064408655

Category: Juvenile Fiction

Page: 272

View: 618

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Dear Reader,You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down. Nobody in their right mind would read this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay in the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these pages.I can think of no single reason why anyone would want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats.It is my solemn and sacred occupation to research each detail of the Baudelaire children′s lives and write them all down, but you may prefer to do some other solemn and sacred thing, such as reading another book instead.With all due respect,Lemony Snicket Ages 10+

This might turn out to be the most fortunate part of your lives.” “I admire your optimism,” Klaus said, smiling at Phil. “Me too,” Violet said. “Tenpa,” Sunny agreed. “That's the spirit,” Phil said again, and stood up to stretch his ...

Author: Lemony Snicket

Publisher: Harper Collins

ISBN: 9780062224972

Category: Juvenile Fiction

Page: 320

View: 834

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NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES A Warning from the Publisher: Imagine you are wearing a bandage that needs to be removed. Are you the sort of person who tears the bandage right off, causing an enormous amount of pain in a short instance? Or do you prefer to spread your pain out over a longer period of time, by slowly unpeeling the bandage from your injury? If you are the first type of person, then this three-book electronic collection might be for you. All of the misery and woe available in three Lemony Snicket volumes—The Miserable Mill, The Austere Academy, and The Ersatz Elevator—have been joined into one compactly miserable package, so readers foolish enough to read about the Baudelaire orphans can be unnerved in a slightly more economical fashion. If you are the second type of person, then volumes four through six in A Series of Unfortunate Events might be for you. Even if you unwisely choose to read them at a more leisurely pace, you will encounter such atrocities as poorly paid employees, a hypnotist, an evil scheme, a gym teacher, dripping fungus, another evil scheme, a fake accent, three mysterious consonants, a red herring, and at least one more evil scheme. Of course, most people would prefer not to be injured at all. We salute these sensible people, who will doubtless not purchase any books by Lemony Snicket, no matter how conveniently bundled.

The floors of the caravan creaked as the Baudelaires stepped outside, into the misty and empty landscape, and realized how fortunate they had been. The caravan had stopped right at the edge of one of the odd, square peaks of the ...

Author: Lemony Snicket

Publisher: Harper Collins

ISBN: 9780062224996

Category: Juvenile Fiction

Page: 400

View: 346

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NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES A Warning from the Publisher: If you have come this far, it is likely too late. Readers who have experienced the first nine volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket are usually so weakened by their dreadful knowledge of the Baudelaire orphans' story that they spend most of their time moaning and weeping, and have no strength to read The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto, The Penultimate Peril, or The End. If, by chance, your moaning and weeping is more or less under control, there is no need to further risk your physical, emotional, and literary health by reading the four remaining volumes in the series. It would be better to regain your strength by spending your time indulging in less alarming activities, such as whistling or making cupcakes for the elderly. After all, this collection contains all of the calamities in the last four volumes of A Series of Unfortunate Events, including abandoned condiments, cigarette smoking, a shocking revelation, a ridiculous laugh, a fearsome storm, a herd of wild sheep, a truly haunting secret about the Baudelaire parents, another shocking revelation, and Phil. There is no need to expose yourself to such atrocities, not after all you've been through already.

Or was it planned and carried out through a series of fortunate events? 25 daily devotional readings, one for each of the days of December leading up to Christmas.

Author: David Kramer

Publisher:

ISBN: 1367596815

Category:

Page:

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Was the birth of Jesus a random event, the result of fortune and the avoidance of unfortunate events? Or was it planned and carried out through a series of fortunate events? 25 daily devotional readings, one for each of the days of December leading up to Christmas.

It was because of a “series of unfortunate events,” which I look at as a “series of fortunate events” because they've enabled me to become the person that I am today. You see, I was standing at a cross road during each of those ...

Author: Anne Dennish

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

ISBN: 9781796071153

Category: Self-Help

Page: 246

View: 260

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“Each Breath Along The Journey” is a collection of short stories based on the personal experiences of the writer and how she survived them. This book is filled with the life lessons that the author has learned throughout her life, from her divorce and being on her own to raise five children to surviving breast cancer. Some stories will make you cry and some will make you laugh, yet you’ll know that you’re not alone in this world.

Karen Tumulty, ''The Real Running Mates,'' Time, September 24, 2007, 35. Norment, ''The Hottest Couple in America.'' Liza Mundy, ''A Series of Fortunate Events,'' Washington Post, August 12, 2007, W10. Norment, ''The Hottest Couple in ...

Author: Joann F. Price

Publisher: ABC-CLIO

ISBN: 9780313362378

Category: Political Science

Page: 224

View: 487

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By any measure, the 2008 presidential race has been historic. The race has created an enthusiasm and a high degree of interest in politics few have ever seen before. At the center of the race is Barack Obama, the first African American to become the presumptive Democratic nominee. Many Americans agree with his politics, and many don't, but most agree he is an incredible force in today's highly-charged political world, and has come along at one of the most crucial, difficult times in our nation's history. For a sense of what has transpired in this campaign and how it is different from others in America's history, this book looks at one candidate from the perspective of quotations, made by and about Barack Obama. Thematically arranged chapter highlight topics including Obama's heritage, his family, state and national politics, his run for the presidency, the issues of the day, community activism and service, and thoughts on race and faith. Each chapter contains an introduction and many of the quotations are supported with background information to give students and general readers a better understanding of the current events and political issues at play. Ideal for student assignments as well as for reading cover to cover, this volume offers the most representative, revealing, and often controversial quotes by and about a man who has created a movement in American politics.

... of the ancient Inca site of Machu Picchu, Howard Carter at the tomb of Tutankhamen in Egypt, and even Heinrich Schliemann at Troy are filled with what they considered to be a series of fortunate events that led to their discoveries.

Author: Richard A. Freund

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

ISBN: 9781442208834

Category: Antiquities

Page: 279

View: 962

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Digging through History follows rabbi and archaeologist Richard Freund's journey through some of the most fascinating archaeological sites of human history--including the mysterious Atlantis, Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the long-buried Holocaust camp Sobibor. Each chapter takes readers through a different archaeological site, showing what we can learn about past religious life and religious faith through the artifacts found there, as well as what has given each site such strong staying power over time. Richard Freund and the research in Digging through History are featured in the National Geographic documentary Atlantis Rising, which premieres on National Geographic on Sunday, January 29, at 9/8 central. The documentary follows Oscar-winning executive producer James Cameron and Emmy-winning filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici as they investigate the myths and realities of Atlantis. Digging through History is the only book that details Freund's groundbreaking research on Atlantis that is featured in the film. A free app, "Archaeology Quest: Atlantis" is also available for iPhone and Android users who want to explore Freund's newest information on Atlantis.

The tale is told through a series of fortunate and unfortunate events where colour is thoughtfully used (e.g., colourful pages for fortunate events and black and white pages for unfortunate events) to show ridiculous and extraordinary ...

Author: S. Rebecca Leigh

Publisher: Springer

ISBN: 9789462097131

Category: Education

Page: 116

View: 252

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This book addresses (and aims to dismantle) writer woundedness, a state of being that prevents students from trusting themselves as capable of writing something they can feel good about. Wounded Writers Ask: Am I Doing it Write? invites students to begin a new writing history through a collection of 48 free-writes that explore list writing, aesthetic writing, word craft, and writing that delves into personal life stories. These free-writes are invitations to develop a lead or improve a story title, to discover a character’s name or replace one word for another that is more vivid, to locate a story idea or revise a story’s focus. More than this, Wounded Writers Ask: Am I Doing it Write? emphasizes creative consciousness over correctness, where writing is a vehicle for exploring identity and (re)claiming voice across multiple grade levels. This book is for the wounded student writer as much as it is for the wounded classroom teacher as writer, who may feel burdened by his/her own writing history such that he/she struggles with where or how to start. For each free-write, Leigh offers Before Writing, During Writing, and After Writing suggestions with samples of student writing to guide teachers into writing engagements with their students that break down walls and open up new vistas.